Stay With Me
by Lazhuli
Summary: Peter calls Tony in the middle of the night, desperate for help. Of course, Tony comes to his aid. Takes place in a slight AU where Civil War essentially didn't happen and the avengers are still together. Timeline is roughly between Spiderman: Homecoming and Infinity War. Warnings: Cussing, nudity, trans character, Mpreg (kind of) and a graphic birth scene. Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Tony rolled over with annoyed sigh as he grabbed for his cellphone, which was so blaringly loud for two in the morning.

"Tony!" Pepper complained, rolling over half asleep.

"Sorry." He muttered, checking the caller ID. It was the kid…..shit. "Peter what's wrong? Isn't it a school night?"

"Mr. Stark….I think I need some help." Peter was breathing hard, his voice crackling with fear.

"Peter! What's wrong?" Tony shot up in the bed. "Are you hurt?"

"Not, um, not exactly." Peter said. "I just, I'm…..oh shit, oh holy shit." On the other end of the phone Tony heard the teen groaning in pain.

"Where are you?" Tony leapt from the bed. "Suits or civvies?"

"Civvies! Please, I'm at my house. Aunt May isn't here, I'm alone and I just need….Oh my God, please just hurry Mr. Stark." Peter was panting now, his distress was palpable.

"I'm coming kid, I'm coming. Just stay calm, can you give yourself first aid?" Tony asked as he yanked a t-shirt over his head.

"I don't need first aid…I don't actually think it's that bad yet. I'm just….I'm so scared." The boy dissolved into sobs punctuated by frantic gasps for air.

"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming to get you."

He kicked down the door without a second thought. The kid was hurt, he didn't have the time to pick the lock

"Peter!" He shouted from the doorway.

"Mr. Stark." Peter fumbled his way into the living room. He was sweating, brown hair pasted down to his forehead and his eyes bright red and swollen from crying as he leaned heavily against the wall. "Oh my God, Aunt May is going to be so pissed about the door."

"I'll get someone to fix it in the morning." Tony promised as he rushed forward to look the teenager over. He was wearing gray sweatpants slung low on his hips and a white oversized t-shirt that was soaked with sweat. Tony didn't see any signs of bleeding, but some of the worst injuries could be the internal ones, so he wasted no time guiding Peter's shaking body onto the sofa.

"Thank you for coming." Peter said, his voice cracking as new tears filled his eyes. "I didn't know who else I could call."

"What happened, who was it?" Tony pressed as he took Peter's face between his hands, looking for signs of concussion.

"Who…he…it wasn't the way you think." Peter stammered. Tony suddenly reached down for the hem of the boy's shirt, causing him to panic and push away his mentor. "What are you doing?"

"I need to check for internal bleeding, I hope you're not attached to your spleen because I don't know any hero who has one anymore." Tony joked as he reached back down to lift Peter's shirt. The teen whimpered but let him pull the large shirt over his head.

"I'm sorry." Peter cried. "I'm so so sorry, Mr. Stark. It wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't know that it could happen." He was sobbing again, one arm hiding his face and the other wrapped around his stomach.

Tony still didn't understand. He searched his chest for bruising and then moved on to his abdomen. He pried Peter's arm from it and stopped. His eyes and brain were fighting about what he saw there. Peter's stomach was rounded out, not much, but more than enough. A kid who spent half his time doing acrobatics on the rooftops of New York should not have that much pudge. It made no sense, the rest of his body was still muscular and strong, only the boy's middle seemed swollen.

"Peter, did you take a hit?" Maybe it was swelling that had him looking so odd.

"No, nobody touched me." Peter continued to cry, both hands splaying out over his middle. "I didn't go out. I haven't been out, because I didn't want it to get hurt."

"I don't understand. What's happening here, kid?" Tony sat down next to the boy pulling his head into his chest. Peter relaxed into him for a moment, beginning to calm himself when Tony felt the teen's body suddenly seize up against him. Every muscle tightened as Peter let out first a whimper and then a groan. He lifted his body up, pushing it in to Tony's as if he was trying to run away from the sensation.

"Help me, help me, help me!" Peter buried his face in the man's chest. With the teen's body pressed up against Tony's in a desperate bid for relief, the older could feel that his abdomen was solid and rock-hard.

"Breathe kid, keep breathing." Tony held Peter for a long moment before his body relaxed. He collapsed, gasping into the man.

"I'm pregnant." Peter whispered, barely enough to be heard. Tony pushed him away.

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"It's not a joke, Mr. Stark." Peter shook his head, his hands returning to the small, but definitely round belly.

"Then you need a psychologist, because you're a boy, Peter." Tony argued, standing up from the couch.

"I know, but…"

"But nothing, there's no….but? I mean, what is going on with you? Did you hit your head…did somebody do something to you?"

"I'm…" Peter whimpered before continuing. "I'm trans."

"Oh." Tony sat down hard on the coffee table. "I didn't…."

"I didn't think that I could get pregnant. I only ever had like four periods before I started the hormones…and I just." Peter dropped his head in to his hands.

"Peter." Tony said quietly, realization coming over him like an electric shock. "Are you in labor?"

"Mmm-hmm." Peter nodded, refusing to make eye contact. "I didn't know who else to call."

"Where's your Aunt?" Tony asked, pulling out his cellphone.

"No! You can't tell Aunt May! You can't…she can't know I fucked up this bad."

"She doesn't know that you're pregnant?"

"No, I…I didn't know for a long time because I don't get periods and then, I just couldn't tell her."

"What were you planning to do when it came?"

"Obviously I didn't have a plan!" Peter shouted. "I don't know what to do…I don't know what to do." He buried his face in his hands.

"You're going to be alright, kid. I'm going to call Happy, he's going to bring the car and we will take you to the hospital. Then I'll call your Aunt."

"No!" Peter protested. "I don't want her to know and I don't want to go to the hospital, okay? I go to a science school, do you know who sends their kids to science school? Doctors! Everybody's going to find out."

"What else do you think we're going to do? You need a hospital, Peter, and even if I don't tell your aunt, then they definitely will."

"Mr. Stark, please, please don't make me go to the hospital. What are you going to tell my Aunt anyway? How are you going to explain being in our house in the middle of the night?"

"Don't fucking test me kid." Tony warned. "You clearly have no idea what you're in the middle of here. How are you going to keep it a secret when you come back with a baby?"

"It's not coming back." Peter shook his head. "I mean, it's not…I don't….I can't take care of a baby and Aunt May can't afford it. I…I can't keep it Mr. Stark and I just want this to be done, so that I can forget it ever happened."


	2. Chapter 2

"Stay calm, kid. We're going to get you some help, okay?" Happy assured the young boy as he approached the gate to the compound. Peter's only response was to continue whimpering, his back against Tony's chest, legs splayed out on the seat in front of him. Tony's back was pressed into the door of the car as he worked to keep Peter comfortable and calm. His contractions were still very short, but the boy's nerves were absolutely shot. He had been crying off and on for the last hour as they tore through traffic out of the city.

"Okay, Peter you've got to sit up now." Tony leaned forward, pushing the teen into an upright position.

"Tell me what you need." Happy said as he parked in front of the doors to the Avenger's living quarters.

"Get the door, so I can help the kid and then get Cap and Natasha." Tony threw open the car door, pulling Peter out on to unsteady feet.

"Mr. Stark, that really hurt." Peter doubled over on himself, hands on his knees.

"Okay, okay kid. I'm sorry, just take it easy." Tony pulled Peter's arms around his neck and stooped over to lift him up in a bridal carry. "Happy, door!"

"On it boss." Happy threw open the wide glass doors so Tony could carry the teen inside, then rushed towards the sleeping quarters. Tony followed behind, going slowly so as not to jostle Peter's sore body around too much. As they entered the large living room he deposited Peter onto a couch, feet propped up on to an ottoman.

"Tony, what the hell?" Natasha stalked down the hallway in sweats and a tank top. "Do you know that it's three thirty in the morning?"

"The kid needed help." Tony threw his hands up. "Where else did you want me to take him Nat?"

"Is he hurt?" Natasha's gaze shifted to the young teen. Seeing his clearly distressed face, she rushed forward and knelt by his side.

"Is Helen nearby?" Tony ignored her question.

"No, she's in England giving a lecture."

"Shit." Tony ran a hand through his hair.

"Tony, it's…." Steve started, stretching as he entered the living room with Happy.

"Yeah, it's the middle of the fucking night. I'm aware." Tony snapped.

"Mr. Stark, another one." Peter groaned, face contorting in pain. He writhed, drawing his legs in until he was practically in the fetal position leaning against the back of the couch.

"Tony, is he injured?" Natasha repeated more insistently. She gripped Peter's upper arm, thumb making small circles against his overly-hot flesh. "Take slow breaths, Peter."

"How…how did you know my name?" Peter panted, he scooted away from Natasha in a mix of shock and fright.

"I'm a spy, I know lots of things…Spiderman." Natasha winked at him.

"Do you people know what time it is?"

"For the love of God!" Tony shouted in exasperation as Sam stalked down the hallway in his boxer shorts. "Well, somebody go get Wanda and Vision! We wouldn't them to miss out on it being zero o'clock in the morning."

"Why is he here Tony?" Steve said, annoyance creeping into his tone. "Does this boy need medical attention?"

"Yes." Tony answered bluntly. "Nat, where's Banner?"

"I told you, I don't know." Natasha gently pushed on Peter's knees to coax him out of his tight ball. "Besides, he's not that kind of doctor."

"Why the fuck do we not have an on-site doctor?" Tony began pacing the room, hands on his head.

"Probably because you trust almost nobody to get anywhere near this compound." Sam crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk.

"Is somebody going to explain what's going on here?" Steve's voice took on a sharp edge, causing Peter's eyes to grow glassy again.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Stark, I shouldn't have called….."

"Where's your aunt?" Tony asked.

"What…?" Peter wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Where is she? When will she be back?"

"She's at a conference in Tulsa, she gets back in tomorrow." Peter's voice broke and he began to sob all over again at the thought of his aunt discovering what was happening.

"Peter, please just….." Tony threw up his hands. "Happy, take him to a room and lay him down. Then, go start working on getting his aunt delayed as long as possible. Cancel flights, extend lectures whatever you have to do. Everybody else, team meeting in the briefing room. Now."


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't understand what you're telling us." Steve shook his head at Tony. "You want me to believe that he's having a baby? I know I missed a lot, but…."

"You know what, we really don't have time to discuss the why's and the how's right now Cap." Tony said with more than a hint of irritation. "He needs help, that's all we need to..."

"No, Tony, we do need to know." Natasha countered. "Why is here? Why didn't you take him to a hospital and what kind of risks is he facing? Because obviously something doesn't match here."

"The kid hasn't told anybody about his situation and doesn't want to. He's going to stay here, deliver and we'll worry about what to do after that." Tony sat down hard in one of the briefing room chairs. The team, still dressed in their sleepwear, had taken seats around the long conference table and were watching him intently.

"You know this is probably some form of kidnapping right? And maybe medical neglect." Rhodey spoke up from the far end of the table. Tony just rolled his eyes in response.

"Is it natural?" Vision questioned. "I mean…is he able to deliver a child? Or is this some sort of strange byproduct of his powers?"

"No, no, it's….he's, um, equipped for it." Tony stammered.

"Is he transgender?" Wanda asked with genuine curiosity.

"I didn't say that." Tony protested. "And none of you are saying it either, okay. That's his business."

"I'm not…familiar with that term?" Steve's eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"You know, I don't think that Steve and I are going to be a lot of help here. So, maybe we should just get out of the way?" Sam started to get up from his chair.

"Who exactly do you think is going to be delivering this baby?" Steve questioned. "This _baby's _baby, okay, because that boy is…."

"Entirely too young to be having a baby? Yes, I agree." Tony spat venomously. "And when this is over I can assure you that necessary arrangements will be made to keep every viable sex partner at least fifty feet away. However, we're unfortunately here right now, so we need to just figure it out!"

"No, we need to call an ambulance so he can go somewhere with the facilities to deliver a baby." Rhodey argued.

"You know, like I said, not gonna be much help with this one so I think we'll just…." Sam took a step towards the door.

"Wait a minute…." Steve protested. Before he could finish Happy threw open the door to the conference room.

"Hey, the kid's asleep now. I put him all the way at the end of the hall so he wouldn't be bothered by the noise or anything. I'm going to make some calls about the aunt now." Happy said. Tony nodded and he disappeared back out the door.

"Okay, let's try this again. Who here knows anything about medicine, or delivering a baby? And can anybody get in touch with Dr. Cho?" Tony asked.

"It's been a long time but, let's just say the Soviet healthcare system left a little something to be desired." Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. "I pretty much know the basics, but if anything goes seriously wrong I can't help him."

Wanda slowly rose her hand, as if waiting to be called on. "After our parents died, in the refugee camps, I helped the nurses a lot. I saw them help a few mothers, and I'm good with babies."

"Assuming the kid doesn't mind having a pretty young girl seeing him in an extremely vulnerable situation." Rhodey scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the young girl is going to go over better than the artificial lifeform, the lieutenant colonel, the genetically enhanced super-soldier, the billionaire in a metal suit, or Sam." Natasha countered.

"Well damn, now I'm hurt." Sam protested.

"My point is, as much as he might not want Wanda and I there I think he'll be even more uncomfortable with a bunch of strange middle-aged men in the room while he's naked and suffering." Natasha leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"Who said anything about being naked…"

"Tony, is that seriously the part of this you're concerned with?" Wanda snapped.

"No..it's…he's so…never mind!" Tony put up a hand. "Here's the plan. Nat and Wanda are going to go help Peter. Sam and Steve, you need to go into the city and get some stuff for the baby, then stealthily go to Peter's apartment and get some clothes for him. Vision I need you to call Dr. Cho and see about getting her here as soon as possible. Rhodey, you'll handle all the business for a day or two while we sort everything out."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Wanda lifted an eyebrow.

"He's going to find us a bunch of towels, get me two bowls, some soap, disposable gloves, and a first aid kit." Natasha said, standing up from her chair. "At least for starters."

"Okay, yeah, can do." Tony nodded. "Let's move people."

"Happy, when is Mr. Stark going to be back?" Peter questioned as Happy gently pushed him in to the bed.

"I don't know kid, but he's going to be back as soon as he can, okay?" Happy assured him. "Peter, why don't you just try to sleep for a little bit?"

"I'm not…I'm not sure if I can right now." Peter's voice wavered as he sat up against the headboard of the bed.

"Just try, okay?" Happy reached out to pull the soft cover around him. "Just get comfortable for a little bit."

"Okay." Peter reached for the hem of his shirt, the froze. "Can…can I?"

"Whatever you need to do kid. It's totally okay." Happy assured him.

"Can you…?" Peter continued to stare with wide eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry kid." Happy turned around to give him privacy. He made himself busy with making sure that the attached bathroom had towels and toiletries stocked while Peter shucked off the t-shirt and sweatpants now soaked with his sweat. Happy watched out of the corner his eye as Peter laid down and pulled the blankets over his body. It didn't take long for the boy to drift off, given that he had been up all night and extremely emotional. Happy quietly slipped out of the room, turning off the light behind him but leaving the door cracked in case the kid woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

"Peter." Natasha gently shook the boy's shoulders. "Peter, I need you to wake up."

The teen moaned as he reached up to rub his eyes with the heel of his hand. Peter rolled from his side to his back, attempting to stretch but only highlighting how sore he felt. He reluctantly opened his eyes to find Black Widow standing over top of him.

"Holy shit!" He sat up ramrod straight, scooting away from her quickly.

"Sorry kid, didn't mean to scare you." Natasha took a step back, hands up in a peace gesture. "I'm sorry we couldn't let you keep sleeping but if we're going to do this, then we need information."

"Where's Mr. Stark?" Peter pulled the blanket up around his exposed chest.

"He and Wanda are getting some medical supplies together."

"Oh. How long was I asleep?"

"About an hour. Like I said, sorry we couldn't just let you rest."

"No, it's okay ma'am…um…could I have my shirt please?" Peter pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself. Natasha sighed internally; this was going to be rough if the kid was going to be that shy about his body. He was clearly unprepared for what was coming next.

"Here." She grabbed some clothes off the dresser and tossed them to him. "They're Rhodey's so they're probably going to be big, but they're clean. But, Peter, they are going to have to come off again."

"Oh…wh..why ma'am?" Peter pulled

"Okay, first, don't call me ma'am. It's Natasha, or Nat if you prefer that." She moved back towards the teen, to place a gentle hand on his back. "Second, we need to look you over and make sure everything's going alright."

"You…you wanna…look." Peter's face flushed to a brilliant red. His ears began ringing at the thought of being exposed in front of a stranger.

"Relax, I'm not asking you to spread your legs for me this minute. Unfortunately, it's eventually to going happen." Natasha admitted. "But right now, I just want to talk. Okay?"

"Okay, yeah." Peter let out a shaky breath. He stretched his legs out under the blanket to pull on the pajama bottoms she had brought him.

"Have you been timing the contractions?" Natasha questioned.

"Mr. Stark and Happy were tracking them on the way here. They were nine minutes…oww." Peter's body curled in on itself involuntarily, his knees pulling into his chest once again.

"Don't hold your breath." Natasha put a hand on his low back, noticing that the muscles were spasming under her hand. After a few more seconds Peter gasped, breathing hard. "It makes it worse if you hold your breath." Natasha told him.

"It's hard not to." Peter shifted his hips uncomfortably.

"How long have you been in labor?" Natasha sat on the foot of the bed.

"I started having some really bad pain in my back at school yesterday. Umm…maybe like, third period? But I didn't know what it was, I've been having a lot of pain lately. It's been moving around a lot and so I didn't….I didn't.." Peter's voice broke. The tears started running hot and fast again. His embarrassment at the inability to stave off more tears only made his throat constrict further.

"Hey, hey, it's alright sweetie." Natasha rubbed warm circles between the teen's shoulder blades. He seemed so young right now, She was pretty sure she had _never _been this young, she had certainly never been this vulnerable.

"I'm so stupid." Peter wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I just didn't think this could happen."

"I know, but it did, so we're going to figure it out." Natasha promised him. "When did you first start feeling the contractions here?" She hovered her hand two inches above his abdomen. It was easy for her to see how he'd kept it secret, in the baggy shirt she couldn't even see the slight curve anymore.

"Um, after I got home from school, maybe like…I don't know…five?" Peter ran a hand through his hair. "I've had some Braxton-Hicks contractions before and it felt like those, it didn't get really bad until midnight."

"Okay." Natasha kept her face even, he'd been in labor for at least twelve hours already, maybe longer. That fact combined with his very clear emotional exhaustion did not give her high hopes for an easy birth. "Do you know if it's on time? When were you actually due?"

"Um…It's about a week and a half earlier than I thought it would come, but I haven't seen a doctor. I calculated that based on what I could find on the internet." Peter's voice wavered as he added, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry, Peter."

"I really messed up." He stared at his lap, trying to steel himself against another display of emotion

"Is this…a bad time?" Wanda stood awkwardly in the doorway with an armful of towels and a box. "Tony is looking through the rest of the medical supplies."

"No, come in." Natasha said quietly. "Peter, this is Wanda. She's going to help me, if that's okay with you."

Help her. Help her deliver his baby, Peter realized. He honestly hadn't though about it, for the last several months he had been stubbornly ignoring the fact that it was eventually going to come _out. _Holy shit, he was going to give birth to it, the little thing he'd tried to ignore even as it was squirming inside of him.

"Oh God." Peter groaned, dropping his head in to his hands. "I'm not ready, I'm not ready to do this." Panic bubbled up in his chest. It was going to force its way out of him while he laid spread out and helpless in front of these women.

"Please try to breath." Natasha put a hand on his arm as his breaths grew shallow and quick.

Peter inhaled sharply, but on the exhale, he couldn't help it. He heard Natasha sigh as he began to cry for what he was sure had to have been the twelfth time since he woke up. She moved to put an arm loosely around his shoulders. It was warm and comforting, Peter hesitantly leaned into her, placing his head against her shoulder. She welcomed him in, wrapping her other arm around him to run her knuckles up and down his spine as he released the pain and fear he'd been carrying for months.

"It's okay sweetie, it's okay."


	5. Chapter 5

"You're going to be just fine." Natasha promised as she snapped on a pair of blue gloves. In front of her on the bed, Peter was laying on his back, eyeing her nervously. His pants and underwear lay discarded in a heap next to the bed, modesty protected by nothing but a sheet he knew Natasha intended to soon remove.

"It'll be easier if you can relax." Wanda said as she took one of his shaking hands in between her own. "It really doesn't hurt that bad."

Peter screwed his eyes shut tightly, it wasn't the idea of pain that upset him, but rather the idea of having a near-stranger get up close and personal with body parts he liked to ignore. He didn't feel like trying to explain that to her though. He'd only just gotten himself calmed down enough to allow this. It wouldn't help if he started bawling all over again.

"Are you ready?" Natasha asked, reaching for the edge of the sheet.

"Yeah." Peter opened his eyes, focusing in on her face, so he could avoid the actions of her hands.

"Okay, knees up…good." Natasha gently pushed his legs apart before pulling the sheet out of the way. She stopped, watching his face for permission to continue. He gave a small nod and she adjusted his legs a little more before reaching a hand down to meet his entrance. He jumped at the contact but didn't move to stop her. She gave Wanda a quick nod.

"Peter, look at me." The Scarlet Witch put a hand on his cheek, drawing his eyes towards her. "It will be over in just a minute."

"Oh shit." He complained as Natasha proceeded with the exam. She was gentle, but he was young, scared, and horribly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." Natasha muttered. She pulled her hands away from him, pulling off the gloves. "There, we're done."

"That was…okay." Peter let out a shaky breath. He quickly pulled the sheet back over himself and readjusted so that he was sitting against the headboard. "Can I have my clothes?"

"Here." Wanda handed them back, then looked away as he pulled on his underwear and the oversized sweatpants.

"How much do you know about this?" Natasha questioned. "I mean.. about how giving birth works."

"My contractions are still seven-ish minutes apart which means I'm probably still in early labor, which sucks. But, hopefully, you're about to tell me that I'm five or six centimeters dilated, which would mean we'd be pretty closed to things picking up."

"You've been studying up." A smile played across Natasha's lips. This kid was every bit as sharp as Tony had told them.

"I was afraid…" Peter blew out a long breath as he shifted to redistribute the weight pushing down on his pelvis. "I was afraid that I might need to deliver it by myself."

"I know you didn't just say you were planning to give birth alone." Wanda's eyes were wide with surprise as she took in the young teen.

"I really didn't have any other plan." Peter admitted. "Oh…contraction."

"Wanda, mark the time." Natasha reached out to position Peter on his hands and knees.

"Mmm…they're definitely getting longer." Peter almost unconsciously rocked his hips from side to side as the pain swelled. "How far dilated?"

"Four, maybe four and a half." The redhead looked at him apologetically.

"Oh man…I was really hoping I was further." Peter admitted. He sat up on his knees and looked at the two women. "This really hurts."

"We should try getting you to move around." Wanda suggested. "If you walk for a little while it might help."

"Good idea, Peter do you think you're up for it?" Natasha asked?

"Yeah, I can prob..probably do that." Peter winced as he climbed off the bed.

"Okay, we'll go out to the living room. You can walk around and Wanda and I can take turns eating, might be our last chance for a while." Natasha moved towards the door.

"Can I eat?" Peter asked. He hadn't had anything since breakfast the previous day, the pain in his back had made lunch seem nauseating and after the contractions had started properly food was low on his priority list.

"Yeah kid, we can get you something light but, not too much. I hate vomit."

"Mmm." Peter moaned as he took a bite of his turkey sandwich.

"Are you okay?" Wanda asked, pointing at him with her cereal spoon.

"Oh, yeah…sorry." Peter mumbled around the food in his mouth. "This is just…really good."

"Enjoy it." Natasha took a long sip of her coffee. "It's probably the last thing you're getting until after the baby is delivered."

Peter's munching slowed at the mention of the baby. He had found out at four months that he was pregnant, he'd spent the next five keeping himself away from the idea as much as possible. Nobody knew, not Ned, not Aunt May, no one. Now, within a few hours he'd gone from complete secrecy to total exposure in front of the people he admired most.

"Don't worry." Wanda misread his apprehension. "We've sent Sam and Steve out to get things for the baby. They'll get everything it will need."

"No! No, they don't need to do that." Peter shook his head. "It isn't…I'm not going to be…"

"Peter," Natasha said softly. "Even if it isn't staying, we'll still need things for the baby while we sort out what to do."

"Can't it…just be adopted by somebody?" Peter asked, putting his food down.

"Yes, but, the Avengers can't just drop a baby off somewhere and say it's adoptable. There's either going to be paperwork on your side or a very good cover-up on Tony's." Natasha shrugged at him. "If that's what you want, we can find a way to make it happen."

"If I do paperwork, they'll know it's mine." Peter sputtered. "I don't want my Aunt to find out about this."

"You know recovering from this is going to take time." Natasha told him gently. "It's going to be noticeable that you're hurting."

"I can..I can make it work, I can find a way to get out of gym class for a little while and skip going out as Spiderman." Peter put out his hands in an offertory gesture. "Please, Nat, I can make this work I just need it to stay a secret."

"Peter nobody here is going to tell anyone anything that you don't want them too. Finish your sandwich."


	6. Chapter 6

"We have to tell his aunt about this." Natasha ran both hands through her red locks. "I don't see another way."

"I promised that kid." Tony sighed as he sunk into one of the conference room's rolling chairs.

"So did I." She admitted. "But we didn't catch him smoking a joint, Tony. He is going to give birth to a child. There's going to be ramifications way beyond today. He'll need time to physically heal and we'll need to explain were the baby came from."

"Okay, so there's some problems. But we can handle it." Tony stood up again, pacing the room anxiously.

"Are you that dense?" Natasha shouted. "He's going to _hurt _and not just his body, Tony. Peter can tell us that he's okay with this, that he doesn't want to keep the baby but he's a sensitive kid and he hasn't thought this through."

"How do you know that?" Tony argued.

"Because he went into labor and his best move was to call _you_." Natasha hissed. "And by the way, how could you not know about this? Because I seem to remember this kid getting a building dropped on him six months ago."

"I never had a reason to suspect." Tony shouted back at her. "I never saw anything that would lead me to believe he…. God…he's been pregnant this whole time, since right after we met, maybe before." Tony's pacing quickened as he rewound the last nine months in his mind. All the missions, the battles, the fights.

"Tony, Tony sit down." Natasha pushed him back into his seat. "Now is not the time for you to panic. Peter's already doing that enough for everyone."

"Where is he?" Tony fought back against her. "Where's the kid?"

"He's in the living room with Wanda." She continued to wrestle with him as he attempted to force his way past her. "But, listen, now is not the time for you to read him the riot act. We can talk to him later, much, much later."

"No, no! That kid has been reckless and…and stupid and he knew! He _knew _that his life wasn't the only one on the line. That he wasn't at one hundred percent and he went places I told him not to go anyway…" Tony shoved his way past Natasha, throwing open the door to the conference room.

"Do not, do this! You will absolutely regret it later if you scream at that kid while he is in labor with a baby he's barely acknowledged exists." She trailed after him through the compound's wide hallways. Tony ignored her protests, stalking towards the living quarters with his vision blurred with red.

"Good, just breathe." Wanda had one hand on Peter's lower back as the other scribbled down the time on a notepad.

"Ooooh." Peter's forearms were pressed against the top of the couch back as he leaned heavily against it, hips rocking side to side.

"Nat!" Wanda called when she saw the older pair coming into the room. "I was just about to look for you, his contractions have been five minutes apart for thirty minutes now."

"Out!" Tony demanded, pointing at Wanda.

"Tony!" Natasha grabbed ahold of his shoulder. "Do not make an ass of yourself." She whispered through clenched teeth.

"Mr. Stark, what's wrong?" Peter panted through the end of a particularly vicious contraction.

"How long?" He gripped Peter's upper arm tightly, causing the teen to jump in fright.

"Tony, let go of him!" Wanda jumped back. Natasha grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her clear of the man.

"How long?" He shouted.

"How…how l..long?"

"How long have you known about the baby?"

"Fi..five months." Peter tried to pull himself away from Tony's tight grip.

"You didn't know when you fought the Vulture?" The pressure on Peter's arm released just a hair.

"No. I found out like, three weeks after the homecoming dance." Peter insisted. Tony let out a loud sigh and released his arm.

"Why did you keep going out? Doing dangerous things when you knew you were pregnant?" Tony demanded.

"I don't know…I just didn't really believe at first that there could be a baby inside me." Peter's throat constricted. "I thought, you know, I thought that after a while I'd start getting big and then I would tell May and…other people. But, it never got obvious so I just never told anyone." More tears were falling now, his throat thick with emotion.

"Peter, I don't…"

"Mmmm." Peter doubled over against the top of the couch again, cutting off whatever Tony might have said.

"Are you having another contraction already?" Wanda checked the time on her phone. "It's only been three minutes."

"No! No, it's just shifting around a lot…it's really uncomfortable."

"Do you feel any pressure?" Natasha took a step towards him.

"May…maybe a little bit." Peter shifted his hips, trying to make the baby's movements inside of him more bearable.

"We should check him again." Natasha put her hand on Tony's shoulder. "Which means that this interrogation is over. Wanda, help Peter to the bedroom."

"I can do it." Peter straightened up stiffly and Wanda looped an arm around his back to aid him. After they had retreated down the hallway Natasha turned to Tony.

"Absolutely no part of that was productive or necessary. All you did was make him upset again." Natasha's voice was practically acidic.

"Nat, I just, I can't." Tony let out a long breath. "I can't let anything happen to that kid."


	7. Chapter 7

"Ahh…ahhh." Peter cried out from his hands and knees on the bathroom floor. "It hurts…it hurts."

"I know, but you're doing so well Peter." Natasha felt the water filling the room's large tub and adjusted the temperature, swirling the water around with her hand to get rid of the cold spots. "Just give us a minute, the water's going to help. Wanda!" She called out into the bedroom were the younger woman was putting a newly bought mattress protector under the bed sheets.

"Yes?" She appeared in the doorway, looking somewhat frazzled. They were feeling the rush now, with Peter's contractions steadily gaining in intensity.

"Help Peter get undressed while I finish filling the tub."

"Wait!" Peter tried to protest as Wanda pulled him up. "I don't want…Can't I have privacy?"

"Sweetie," Natasha looked at him with sympathy. "You're too far into this for us to leave you alone."

"Peter, we aren't judging you." Wanda promised him. "You're a boy, no matter what your body looks like."

"I…I know." Peter's eyes began to water as he first pulled off his shirt, then reached to hook his thumbs into the waistband of his underwear. He steeled himself before pulling down both sweatpants and boxers in one motion. Kicking them away he accepted Natasha's help settling himself into the tub without looking at her face. The warmth of the water felt amazing against his aching center.

Natasha turned away from him, towards her young helper. "Go ahead and get the supplies laid out in the other room and change into some clothes you don't mind getting a mess on."

"All right. Should I get some of the things that Sam and…."

"We," Natasha cut her off quickly. "We can discuss that later."

Wanda's eyes cut quickly to Peter, who seemed to thankfully be getting some relief from the water. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about…"

"It's okay." Natasha assured her. "We just, we need to keep him calm for a while." She whispered.

"Okay, yeah, I'll go lay out everything." Wanda pulled out her phone to check the time. "Did you know it's almost noon?"

"And we've already been up for nine hours, lucky us." Natasha mused.

"Shit." Peter hissed. Natasha rushed to kneel by his side as he writhed in the water. "Why are they hurting so much?"

"Peter, this is good okay?" She gripped one of his hands tightly in hers. "It means we're getting closer."

"Oh God." His back arched as the contraction reached it's peak, as it ended he dropped back into the water with a whimper.

"I know, Peter, I know." Natasha wet her hand, then pushed the hair off his forehead. It felt so good, the warm water on his sweaty face, her hand gently pushing through his hair. He let out a contented sigh as she repeated the action again.

"That's nice." He murmured, letting his eyes flutter shut. Natasha was eager to keep him this relaxed, so she continued to run her fingers through the boy's hair. She cupper hand and let water run down the back of his neck. Overcome by exhaustion, Peter felt himself begin to doze, Natasha's warm hand continuing to move over his scalp and neck.

"It's okay to rest…I've got you." Her voice felt distant as he drifted in and out.

_"__Come on, Peter." Ned smiled at him softly. "It'll be fun."_

_ "__I..I don't know, man." Peter ran his hands through his hair. "I'm just not sure."_

_ "__This is exactly what you need to relax." Ned's hands were on his upper arms now, Peter could feel his heart racing._

_ "__But what if…what if May…" Peter shook his head._

_ "__May isn't here…and May isn't going to find out."_

_ "__I just don't think that I want to do this."_

_ "__Why not?" Ned was smiling at him again._

_ "__Maybe, I'm not…ready." Peter took a step away from his friend._

_ "__What is there to be ready for?" Ned laughed at him. "This isn't a big deal Peter."_

_ "__But…"_

_ "__But nothing, man. Dude, this is high school. Everybody is doing this stuff." Ned insisted. _

_ "__This is…too much." Peter insisted. He crossed his arms over his chest as his best friend stared him down expectantly._

_ "__Peter, I'm not gonna make you do something you don't want to do." Ned shook his head. "But I promise you, you'll enjoy this."_

_ "__Ned…."_

_ "__It's going to be so good."_

_ "__I don't want to lie to Aunt May." Peter shook his head._

_ "__She's never gonna ask man. Just don't tell her." Ned argued._

_ "__Man, what if she gets off early…."_

_ "__Peter! It's just a party. We'll go, we'll drink some cheap beer and then we'll leave. Everything will be fine." Ned's eyes were practically begging him._

_ "__Okay." Peter relented. "Oh my God, if May finds out I snuck out to a party she's going to kill me."_

_Two hours later Peter's head felt fuzzy. There was a bad taste in his mouth and some guy from the junior class whose name he either didn't know or couldn't remember had his hand on Peter's ass. To Peter's great surprise, his own hands were up the boy's shirt, feeling his strong shoulders._

_ "__Come on, honey." He crooned in Peter's ear. "Let's find some privacy."_

Half awake, Peter smirked at the memory._ "Let's find some privacy."_ The words that had gotten him into this mess.

"What's funny, kid?" Natasha looked at him quizzically.

"It really wasn't funny." Peter mused. "Just dumb."


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, but how does this piece go on?" Steve held up a mobile of clouds and bright stars.

"Ummm." Sam ran his hand on the other side of the bassinet's gray bonnet. "This looks like it could have a clip. Look in the box."

"That's nice." Tony made a small gesture towards the bassinet as he entered the living room. He threw himself down on one the couches with a groan, arm over his eyes.

"Tired?" Steve smirked at him.

"Stress headache." Tony corrected. "I've been on the phone with my lawyers all day, trying to find something to do. Without, of course, actually letting them know that there's a teenager giving birth in one of my spare rooms.

"How's the kid?" Steve asked as he flipped through an instruction booklet.

Tony sighed loudly. "Nat says it could be two hours or ten hours. She said he's getting really worn out…Which could mean bad things."

"It's not to late to call…." Sam began as he fixed the mobile in place.

"To what, call an ambulance, a doctor?" Tony asked. "Yeah, actually it is a little late for that. Because he's not in an apartment in Queens right now, he's here with us and that's damn suspicious."

"I actually have to admit that I agree with Tony on this one." Steve ran a hand across the back of his neck. "We've had this kid here for hours, we've bought things…we broke into his apartment! There's a pretty clear trail here that says that we tried to cover this up."

"Thank you. For once you make sense." Tony waved a hand in his direction. "Were you able to get everything?"

"There." Steve gestured at some shopping bags resting on the kitchen counter. "Diapers, bottles, clothes, wipes, formula…We didn't really know how much to get since we weren't sure how long it would be here."

"What are we going to do with it" Sam asked, shaking his head. "He really doesn't want it?"

"Well, for the moment we aren't doing anything." Tony stretched out. "Nothing to do until after it comes."

As if on cue, a strangled cry slipped down the hallway as Wanda came out of the bedroom. She let out a noisy exhale as she made her way into the kitchen and began rummaging in the fridge. After a moment, she pulled out a jug of orange juice and set it on the counter.

"Hey." Sam called over to her, she looked up at him with a touch of surprise.

"Sorry, I was…zoned out." She scrubbed her face with the heel of her hand. "It has been a long day."

"How's he doing?" Tony sat up to look at her.

"Well, Nat told me that if you try to talk to him again, I should knock you out." Wanda smirked as she turned to the cabinet for a cup. "So there's that."

"I think we might've missed something." Steve raised an eyebrow at Tony, who waved him off.

"Okay, I lost my cool. That's valid. But I just want to know how he's doing." Tony asked again. Wanda wanted to say something witty in response, but his eyes were genuine. She sighed to herself.

"He's getting tired. Nat's trying to get him to fall asleep, but the contractions are very strong now. He's really starting to struggle." She admitted, waving the cup at him. "She thought something sweet and cold might boost him back up."

"How close is he to…" Steve made an indefinite hand motion.

"Giving birth?" Wanda gave a chuckle at her friend's reluctance to state the obvious.

"Yeah." Steve blushed lightly. Wanda shook her head.

"I don't know it's…it's taking a while. He'll probably be pushing in a few hours but that could be hours more, especially because he's already worn out."

"Damn, poor kid." Sam shook his head. "Wish we had something he could take for the pain."

"We looked, but none of the drugs we have would be safe for the baby." Wanda put away the jug, shutting the fridge door with a heavy thud.

"Wanda!" Natasha's voice rang down the hall. "Did we have any juice?"

"Yeah, I'm coming!" Wanda shouted back. "I have to…" She pointed vaguely in the direction of the older women's voice.

"Yep." Tony nodded. "Keep us in the loop."

"I'll try." Wanda retreated to the bedroom where she, Natasha and Peter had been holed up for hours.

"So, why does Nat want to cause you bodily harm?" Steve asked as they cleaned up the packaging from the now-finished bassinet.

"I got upset and yelled at the kid." Tony threw an arm back over his face. "I realized just how long he'd been throwing himself around rooftops with that baby inside of him and I just lost it."

"Tony, the kid was lying to you for a long time, it's only natural that you'd be upset." Steve rationalized.

"Lying to me." Tony laughed. "He doesn't owe me any information. He isn't my kid."

"He should have told you." Steve insisted. "His safety was in jeopardy."

"His masculinity was in jeopardy." Tony countered. "Which you can't underestimate." He took a long breath. "Maybe it's my fault. He gets pregnant and then a week later I showed up and gave him the suit, sent him out into danger."

"You didn't make him go out there Tony." Sam tried to reason. "If you hadn't stepped in, he probably would've gotten himself killed. We all saw the damage the Vulture caused, and that kid was ready to jump in completely blind."

"Because I made him think he was ready."

"We can argue about it all day." Sam got up from the floor. "But that's not gonna help us now. Let's just start from here and move on."

"Fine." Tony got up and grabbed the bassinet. "Let's go find somewhere to put all this stuff. Make sure that it's ready when we need it."

"We aren't putting it in Peter's room?" Steve grabbed the bags off the counter.

"I don't think he could handle that." Tony sighed. "We're just going to plan on the baby staying somewhere else for now."

"Poor kid." Steve murmured. "Both of them."


	9. Chapter 9

"It's too much! It's too much!" Peter squirmed around the tub.

"Peter, take a deep breath for me." Natasha had her hands on his thighs, Wanda's held his shoulders as they struggled to keep the teen under control. He was half-delirious from pain and exhaustion, something which did not pair well with his inhuman strength.

"I can't." He sobbed as he contorted in a desperate attempt to relieve the building pressure between his hips.

"You think it's time for him to push?" Wanda wrapped one arm around his chest, under the shoulders. The other hand she pressed against his forehead. His skin was practically burning under her palm.

"Definitely." Natasha shook his leg to try and get his focus. "Peter, it's time to go back to the bed now. Can you get up?"

"No. No." He whimpered, even as Natasha moved to hook an arm under his shoulder. Wanda did the same and together they pulled the boy to his feet. Peter screamed, burying his face in Natasha's shoulder at the sudden change in position.

"Step out, Peter." Natasha tried to urge him over the wall of the tub.

"I can't, I can't do it." He cried.

"Okay, you're okay." She leaned down and grabbed the back of his thigh. "Wanda, hold him, careful that he doesn't fall." She pulled his leg out onto the bathmat, giving him only a moment to get his balance before she did the same to the other.

"Help me." Peter was practically begging, leaning heavily on Wanda.

"We're going to go in the other room and get you in the bed." Wanda put a hand on his low back to guide him. All Peter could manage was a slow shuffle, barely picking up his feet as they slowly made their way into the other room.

"Here we go, sweetie." Natasha murmured as they helped him onto the bed. "It's almost over now."

"Gloves." Wanda handed a pair of the blue medical gloves to Natasha, who snapped them on quickly.

"Peter, I think it's time to push, alright? After the next contraction I'm going to check you again." Natasha put her hand on his knee as he curled on to his side.

"I'm scared." He whispered.

"That's okay, honey." Natasha patted his leg gently. "We're right here with you. Wanda, get me a towel."

"Here." Wanda tossed her one from the top of the dresser.

"Thanks. Peter, listen to me. Wanda's going to help you while you push. Whatever you need, a hand to hold, someone on your back, whatever you need."

"I'm not ready to do this." Peter whimpered. "I don't think I can push."

"Peter." Natasha said softly. "You have to, that's how we get this baby out."

"No, I can't. I can't do this." He argued. This was so much, so fast that it overwhelmed his mind. "I can't have it."

"It's too late for that." She reminded him. "I know you're scared but this baby is coming."

"Aahhh." Peter cried out with the start of a contraction. The pressure was unbearable now, causing him to release a string of low moans. "Oh, oh God."

"I know." Natasha murmured. She waited a long minute for his body to relax before trying to gently push him from his side to his back. Peter resisted, unwilling to leave a position that provided even slight relief from the pressure.

"Peter." Wanda reached out a hand to gently touch the side of his face. "It's okay to be frightened, but you have to let me check you now."

"Okay." Peter slowly rolled onto his back then reached up to slip his shaking hand into Wanda's. The woman smiled softly, giving a gentle squeeze of encouragement as he anxiously waited for what came next.

"Whoa." Natasha grabbed the towel suddenly, holding it between Peter's legs as a burst of fluid came from where she had just withdrawn.

"Did I just…wet myself?" Peter blushed a deep shade of red.

"Your water broke." She laughed a bit to herself as she cleaned up the mess. "You're definitely ready to push. Wanda another towel please."

"Yeah, I've got it." The younger switched out the now soaked towel for a fresh one and shoved the dirty into a waiting trash bag.

"Umm, can I sit up for a second?" Peter gasped.

"Why? What's wrong?" Wanda rushed back to his bedside.

"I think I'm gonna…."

"Nat, the trash can!" Wanda pulled Peter up to sitting as his face went a pale green. Natasha pushed a waste bin into his lap as he swallowed hard, trying to avoid the inevitable. He couldn't hold it more than a few moments though and suddenly he was retching into the bin.

"Damn, we were so close." Natasha grumbled. "I hate vomit."

"I'm sorry." Peter choked out when his shoulders stopped heaving.

"It's not your fault sweetie." She assured him. "Let me get you some water." She filled a dixie cup from the bathroom. Peter swished the water around his mouth before spitting it out into the trash can.

"Ugh." He groaned, leaning back into the bed. Both women froze as he pulled his legs back over the side of the bed. A bright red stain was spilling out from underneath his body onto the sheets around him.

"Wanda." Natasha whispered so quietly she could hardly be heard. "Get Tony, now."


	10. Chapter 10

"You're going to be alright. It's all going to be okay, kid." Tony sat on the bed behind Peter's gasping form. The young boy panted weakly as his lolled against Tony's shoulder. His face was ghostly pale, beads of cold sweat poured down his face and neck.

"Okay, Peter, the baby's head is out now." Natasha stood at the foot of the bed, one hand was on Peter's blood-smeared thigh while the other supported the baby's head. "Wanda are you ready?"

"One minute!" Wanda shouted as she continued scrubbing her hands in the sink.

"We might not have one!" Natasha shouted back. She turned back to her patient, who was "One more good push Peter, and this is going to be over. I promise you."

"Mmmm." He gave a low moan in response. The bleeding had been going on for nearly half an hour now, causing Peter to grow dizzy and faint. He took a deep breath, trying to muster his strength. Never in his life had Peter been so afraid and in so much pain. He wanted to tell Natasha that 'one more push' just wasn't going to happen. But, the woman said his heavy bleeding could mean the baby's health was in danger and he wasn't going to let anything happen to this baby. Nothing was going to happen to this baby.

"Okay, okay." Wanda rushed back into the bedroom. "I'm here."

"Ready for the baby?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, everything's ready here." Wanda checked over their set-up on top of the dresser one last time. A thick towel to lay the baby on, clamps, scissors. "Oh wait, we never found a suction bulb."

"Sam and Cap got one, I'll get it." Tony started to move out from behind Peter on the bed.

"No, please Mr. Stark." Peter gasped out. "Please stay with me."

"I'll get it." Wanda moved towards the door.

"It's in the room across the hall, we threw all the bags into a pile on the bed." Tony told her.

"Oh." Peter's body began to tense.

"Run, Wanda." Natasha told her. The younger rushed out of the room as Peter panted through the start of a contraction.

"Okay kid, you can do this." Tony murmured in his ear as Peter's body curled in on itself.

"Great job, honey!" Natasha laughed. "Keep going, keep going…there she is!"

"Oh my God." Peter fell against Tony's chest. The sudden release of pressure was almost blissful as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Come on honey." Natasha mumbled. She grabbed behind her for the clamps and scissors, causing most of the instruments to clatter onto the floor.

"Here it is!" Wanda burst back into the room with a blue suction bulb in one hand.

"Bring it." Natasha quickly cut the cord and lifted the baby from the foot of the bed. Laying the tiny infant on the dresser she grabbed the bulb from Wanda's hand.

"Nat, why isn't the baby crying?" Tony asked quietly from the bed. He gently ran his hands up and down Peter's arms as the boy rested against his body. At that question, however, Peter sat up a little straighter.

"Is it…is it okay?" He asked nervously. Natasha didn't answer as she and Wanda stayed bent over the tiny body, hands a flurry of activity as they worked. "What's going on!" Peter insisted.

"Hey, it's okay." Tony whispered in the teen's ear. "It's okay."

"Mmmhh." Peter whined in response.

"Um, Nat?" Tony called as Peter's body began to tense against him with another contraction. Natasha threw an aggravated look over her shoulder before spying the boy.

"Wanda, the afterbirth." She instructed. The younger woman turned back to the foot of the bed.

"Got it, got it." She said, clearly feeling overwhelmed as she put a knee on the bed to steady herself as she bent over to push Peter's thighs apart.

"What are you doing?" Peter mumbled.

"I need you to push one more time." Wanda told him very matter-of-factly. "Once you deliver the afterbirth, we can stitch you up and you can rest." Peter was about to comment on the word _stitches _when a wail filled the room.

"Thank God." Natasha breathed as the baby girl began to wail. "She's okay!"

"She's okay?" Peter's voice caught in his throat.

"She is, and she's beautiful." Natasha smiled. "She's so beautiful." She went about cleaning the baby, diapering and dressing her little form while Wanda took care of the placenta.

"Can you do the stitches?" Wanda asked as she cleaned the blood from her hands. "I've only ever done them on somebody's arms or legs so I don't think I should try them in a…."

"Nat please do the stitches!" Peter interrupted. "And then can I sleep?"

"Yeah, honey." Natasha laughed. "Here Tony, take the baby." The man slipped out from behind Peter, helping to lay him back gently onto the pillows before holding out two shaking arms to Nat.

"Oh Jesus." He said as the woman transferred the infant into his arms. "So tiny." He smiled down at the little girl in his arms. She was sleeping now, tired out from her ordeal, one tiny hand reaching up to feel the warmth of the reactor on his chest.

"Ow, Jesus!" Peter groaned as Natasha started stitching up the bleeding wounds.

"Peter, I know it hurts. I'm going to be quick okay?" Natasha assured him as she continued. At her side, Wanda held hips so that he couldn't further injure himself by thrashing around.

"Hey, hey kid." Tony moved to stand by the boy's head, still cradling the newborn to his chest. "You're going to be okay. Do you want to see her?"

"No." Peter's eyes welled up with tears. "I shouldn't…I shouldn't bother."

"Oh Peter." Tony said softly. "Please look at your baby. At least once."

"I don't want to see her." Peter sobbed. "Take her away. Please, Mr. Stark."

"Okay." Tony nodded somberly. "Maybe later, honey. Nat, I'm going to take her into the other room."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. He's got a bad tear here; it's going to take us awhile to get him cleaned up." Natasha told him.

"Here we go little one." Tony murmured to the newborn as they slipped out the door.

He carried the baby across the hall and gently laid her in the bassinet. For a moment she squirmed uncomfortably before settling back into sleep. For lack of anything better to do Tony grabbed some of the shopping bags and sat down on the floor by the bassinet. One by one he began taking items out and removing the packing from them.

"We're going to find a good place for you honey." Tony talked to the sleeping baby as he worked. "You'll be safe. You're always going to be safe honey, I'm going to make sure of that."


	11. Chapter 11

"What a beauty." Rhodey smiled as he watched the tiny baby in Wanda's arms greedily suck at a bottle.

"Seeing such a tiny child," Vision spoke up from Wanda's side. "Does evoke a certain…joyful response…does it not?"

"That it does, Vis." Natasha peek over the back of the couch to get a glimpse of the hours old baby in her fuzzy sleeper.

"How's Peter feeling?" Steve asked from his seat at the kitchen counter.

"He lost some blood and he's definitely going to be sore tomorrow, but for now he's pretty comfortable." Natasha assured them. "Tony's with him now, trying to get some information now that things are calmer."

"Hey!" The heroes jumped at the sudden intrusion. "How come nobody told me we were having a baby?" Clint smiled widely as he entered the living room, gaze falling on the little girl.

"Clint." Natasha gave him a surprised hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Tony called me; said you all had a problem I might be able to help with." He moved closer to Wanda and the baby, reaching out one finger to run along her downy head. "God, I remember when Lila was this small."

"Do you want to hold her?" Wanda offered the little bundle out to Clint who gladly received it, settling in on the couch next to her.

"Wait a second." Sam protested, half-jokingly. "I thought we had a line going here. You can't just roll in here and snatch her up."

"Hey, seniority man." Clint grinned. "I have most experience, I get first cuddles. How long ago was she born?"

"Four hours." Natasha told him. "Give or take about 15 minutes. We didn't mark the actual time because we were a little occupied."

"Oh man." Clint said breathlessly. "Not even a day old yet."

"And already spoiled." Tony leaned against the wall of the hallway. "Clint, thanks for coming."

"No problem." Clint gently passed the baby back to Wanda and got to his feet. Tony crooked a finger at him, indicating that he should follow down the darkened hallway.

"The kid is resting right now, but I told him I was bringing somebody." Tony gestured to a door at the end of the hall before ushering Clint in the one directly opposite. With a heavy sigh Tony sat on the edge of the empty bed. "Are you willing?"

"Yeah." Clint crossed his arms over his chest. "Laura and I talked it over and if this baby needs a place to go, of course we're willing to take her. But, I have to hear it from him. I want to hear him say this is what he wants."

"Fair enough. How soon are you prepared to take her?" Tony asked. Clint let out a long breath.

"We haven't even talked to the kids yet, Tony. It all happened so fast." Clint shifted his weight from foot to foot, considering his next words carefully. "But if this is what he wants then I can probably take her as soon as I can arrange a flight home. She's so little I don't want to drive her by myself."

"I can take care of the flight, Happy can have it ready to go whenever you need." Tony promised. "Clint, if you don't take her I don't what else I'm going to do. This has to work." He admitted.

"Like I said, if the kid wants this, then she has a home with us." Clint promised. "Oh hey, nobody told me what her name is."

"She doesn't have one." Tony shook his head.

"He didn't pick one yet?" Clint asked.

"I don't think that he's going to, Clint." Tony shook his head sadly. "Peter hasn't even looked at her."

"He hasn't seen her?" The archer planted his hands on his hips.

"Not properly, no. Maybe just a glimpse after she was born." Tony ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "He's obviously a little emotional right now."

"No, no." Clint paced the floor. "We can't…I can't take that baby from here without him ever seeing his daughter. That wouldn't be right Tony."

"If he doesn't want to see her, I don't want to cause him more trauma."

"He has to see her at least once. He has to!"

"Why?"

"Because everything changes when you see that little face."


End file.
